Car-brake.



N6. 764,667. PATENTED JULY 12, 1904. J. w. LAFFERTY.

GAR BRAKE.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 13, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented July 12, 190 1.

PATENT OFFIcE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 764,667, dated July 12, 190 1.

Application filed February 13, 1904. Seria1No. 193,403. (No model.)

provements in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in,

car-brakes.

It relates particularly to car-brakes in which a shoe is applied to the wheel and rail.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective, and durable brake provided g with means by which the wheel-shoe may be applied by the wheel against the rail, thus greatly increasing the braking action, means being provided by which the shoe may be apv plied to the wheel and perform the braking action in the ordinary manner'without making contact with the rail, said means providing, further, for the application by the wheel of the shoe to the rail in emergency cases.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter more fully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a portion of a car, showing connected therewith a braking mechanism constructed according to the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a View, partly in plan, partly in horizontal section, of part of the braking mechanism and portions of the car. Fig. 3 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, showing one end of the rock-shaft and some of the parts connected therewith. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the dotted line (1. 7) of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation view of one of the wheelshoes. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rail-shoe. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the dotted lines 0 (Z of Fig. 2, showing part of the means for rocking the rockshaft. Fig. 8 is a cross-section taken on the dotted line of of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts.

1 denotes the platform of a car; 2 and 3, two pairs of car-wheels, respectively.

4 denotes atransverse beam, to each end of which is secured rigidly a wheel-shoe The beams& are disposed, respectively, upon opposite sides of the wheels 2 and 3. Each of the shoes 5 is provided with a curved surface for engaging. the periphery of the adjacent wheel. The under sideof each shoe 5 is provided with a transverse dovetail recess in which is fitted .a horizontal detachable railshoe 6, providedon its'upper and lower sides with transvensr'; corrugations 7 adapted to make contaet with the top of the rail 8. The

shoe 6 is reversiblei so that when the lower corrugated side becomes too much worn the shoe may be reversed lnz-the recessof the wheel-shoe, with the -upper' corrugated side placed below. A set-screw 9 isyprovided in each wheel-shoe 5 for securing therein the railshoe 6, upon whichthe set-screw bears.

Any convenient means may be employed for simultaneouslymovingthe 'beams 4:;so as to apply all of the wheel shoes 5 to the carwheels. In the drawings I have shown the beams connected, respectively, by means of rods 10 and 11 witha horizontal lever 12, pivotally supported between the rods 10 and 11 in any suitable 'manner; A longitudinallymovable rod '13, movable by any suitable means, is connected at one endto the lever 12 for swinging the same to and fro 'to apply or release the brake-shoes5. Transverselydis posed beneath the car-platform t above each set of shoes 5 is a rocleshaft 14, the ends of which are :supported, respectively, in transverse holes through brackets 15, supported upon the under side of the platform 1. Upon each IOOk-Sllfifbld: are mounted two earns 16, disposed, respectively, adjacent opposite ends of the shaft. Upon each cam 16is mounted a horizontal plate 17, which is raised and low ercd when therock-shaft is properly rocked. To the upper end of each shoe 5 is secured the lower ends of two upwardly-extending rods/'18, which extend through vertical holes provided, respectively, in the adjacent plates 17 at each side of the adjacent cam 16. Encircling each rod 18 and supported at its lower end upon the plate 17 is a coil-spring 19, upon the upper end of which is supported a horizontal plate 20, provided with two holes through which the rods 18 extend, The upper ends of the rods 18 are screw-threaded and have mounted thereon, respectively, the nuts 21. The wheel-shoes 5 are provided, by means of the coil-springs 19, with a resilient support which normally retains the rail-shoes 6 out of contact with the rail 8. If the beams 4 are moved, as already described, so as to force the shoes 5 against the wheels 2 and 3, respectively, the brake-shoes 5 will be moved in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the wheels to which they are applied. If the car is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the wheels 2 will force the shoes 5 downward against the pressure of the springs 19 and cause the railshoes 6 to be forced tightly against the rails 8, providing the rock-shaft 14 is in the position shown in Fig. 1. If it is desired to apply the wheel-shoes 5 to the wheels without applying the rail-shoes 6 to the rails, the shaft 14 is rocked into the position indicated in Fig. 4, in which the cam 16 is turned by means of the roclcshaft 14, so as to raise the plate 17 to a height sufficient that the shoes 6 cannot touch the rail when the shoes 5 are applied to the car-wheel even though the wheel is rotated in a direction such that the shoe 5 will be forced toward the rail. To so rock the rock-shaft 14, I provide the following mechanism: On the shaft 14 and rotatable therewith is mounted a pulley 22, over which runs a cable 23, secured at one point 24 to the periphery of the pulley 22. .One end of the cable 23 is secured to one end of a coil-spring 25, the other end of which is secured to a downwardly-extending bracket 26, rigidly secured to the under side of the platform 1. The other end of the cable 23 is secured to a rotatable shaft 27, extending vertically through the platform 1 and provided at its upper end with a crank-arm 28, by which the shaft 27 is rotated. On the shaft 27, above the platform 1 and rotatable therewith, is mounted a ratchetwheel 29, in the teeth of which engages a pawl 30, pivotall y mounted upon the platform 1. To rock the rock-shafts 14 as viewed in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 4, the shaft 27 is rotated, so as to wind thereon the cable 23, thus rotating the pulley 22 and rocking the rock-shafts 14 as desired, the pawl 30 meanwhile engaging with the ratchet-wheel 29 and preventing the rearward rotation of the shaft 27. The cable 23, as shown in Figs. 8 and 2, is wound once around the left pulley 22, as viewed in Fig. 1, and secured thereto in any suitable manner. As the cable is drawn onto the shaft 27 it will rotate pulley 22 and the shaft 14, on which the said pulley is mounted, thus elevating the shoes 5 bearing upon the wheels 3, as described with referenee to the other brake-shoes 5. To retract the shafts 14 in the other directions, the pawl 30 is released from the ratchet-wheel 29, and the spring 25 through the intermediacy of the cable 23 and the pulleys 22 and 22 will rock the shafts 14 to the positions shown in Fig. 1.

My invention may be modified in many ways without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-brake the combination with a wheel-shoe movable by the car-wheel toward the rail and provided with a transverse dovetail recess, of a rail-shoe fitted to said recess and adapted to make contact with the rail when the wheel-shoe is properly moved, and means for locking said wheel-shoe in said recess.

2. In a car-brake the combination with the wheel-shoe movable by the car-wheel toward the rail and provided with means when properly positioned, to engage both rail and wheel, of means independent of the movement of the car-wheel for raising and lowering said wheels 10c.

3. In a car-brake the combination with the wheel-shoe movable by the carwheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, a yielding support for said wheel-shoe, and means for raising and lowering said sup port.

4. In a car-brake the combination with the wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of means for normally retaining the shoe out of contact with the rail excepting when the shoe is applied to the wheel, and means for positioning the wheel-shoe for avoiding contact with the rail when the shoe is applied to the wheel.

5. In a ear-brake the combination with the wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of resilient means normally retaining said shoe out of contact with the rail excepting when the shoe is applied to the wheel, and means for so positioning said resilient retaining means as to prevent contact of the wheelshoe with the rail when the shoe is applied to the wheel.

6. In a car-brake the combination with the wheel-shoe movable by the wheel against the rail, 2. vertically-movable support, resilient means for mounting said shoe on said support and normally holding the shoe free from the rail, and means for adjusting said support as to prevent contact of the shoe with the rail when the shoe is applied to the wheel.

7. In a ear-brake the combination with a wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of a rock-shaft provided with a cam, and means for supporting the shoe upon said cam.

8. In a car-brake the combination with a wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of a rock-shaft, means for rocking the same, and means for raising the shoe when the shaft is properly rocked.

9. In a car-brake the combination with a wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of a rock-shaft, means for rocking the same, a support, means for raising and lowering the said support when the shaft is rocked, and resilient means for supporting the wheel-shoe upon said support.

10. In a car-brake the combination with a wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of a rock-shaft, means for rocking the same, a cam mounted on said shaft, a plate supported by said cam, one or more springs mounted on said plate, and means for supporting the wheel-shoe upon said spring or springs.

11. In a car-brake the combination with the wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of a rock-shaft, means for rocking the said shaft in one direction, means for retracting the shaft in-the opposite direction, and a vertically -adjustable resilient supporting means for the wheel-shoe, and means for vertically adjusting said resilient supporting means when the shaft is rocked in the proper direction.

12. In a car-brake, the combination with two wheel-shoes adapted each to engage a wheel and movable thereby toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, of a beam connecting said wheel-shoes, means for applying said shoes to the wheels, resilient means normally retaining said shoes clear of the rails excepting when the shoes are applied to the wheels with the wheels rotating in the proper direction, and means for positioning said resilient means so as to prevent contact of the wheel-shoes with the rail when the shoes are applied to the Wheels.

13. In a car-brake,the combination with two pairs of wheel-shoes, the pairs being disposed respectively upon opposite sides of the wheels, means for applying simultaneously both pairs of shoes against their respective wheels, resilient supporting means sustaining each pair of shoes and permitting each pair, when applied to its respective pair of wheels and said wheels are moving in the proper direction, to be moved by said wheels toward and have contact with the rail, and means for adjusting said resilient means so as to prevent con tact of the shoes with the rails.

14:. In a car-brake, a wheel-shoe, means for pivotally mounting the same, means for swinging the shoe on its pivotal support against the the shaft in the opposite direction, and locking means for preventing retraction of the shaft by said spring.

16. In a car-brake, the combination with a rock-shaft provided with a cam, a wheel-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, resilient means for supporting the shoe upon said cam, a rotatable shaft, a cable connected therewith,

means for rocking the rock-shaft in one direction when the cable is wound on the rotatable shaft, and means for retracting the rockshaft when the cable is released.

17. In a car-brake the combination with a rock-shaft, of a brake-shoe movable by the wheel toward and provided with means for engaging the rail, a plate, means for vertically adjusting said plate when the rock-shaft is rocked, one or more springs carried by said plate, means for supporting-the brake shoe upon said spring or springs, and meansfor applying the brake-shoe to the wheel.

18. A brake-shoe provided on one side with a surface for engaging the wheel and having a transverse recess, a rail-shoe having two opposite sides transversely corrugated mounted in said recess with one corrugated sidein position for contact with the rail, the corrugated sides being revcrsible, and means for locking the rail-shoe in the recess.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES W. LAFFERTY.

WVitnesses:

WARREN D. House, HENRY F. Rosin. 

